1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of determining a remaining capacity of an energy source of an information tag for agriculture. The invention furthermore relates to an information system for agriculture, and to an information tag for agriculture.
2. Description of the Related Art
In agriculture (comprising arable and dairy farming) use is made of information tags, such as transponders, transmitters, and the like, which are able to transfer information in a wireless manner to a receiver. The information may comprise identification data for identifying an entity such as an animal, plant, seed bed or the like to which the tag in question is connected. It is also possible that the information comprises a plurality of other data, such as data in relation to the animal, the plant or the like to which the tag is connected.
In this document, by the term tag should be understood any information carrier which is adapted to a (preferably wireless) transmission of data to a receiver. The wireless information transmission can take place via radio waves, optically (such as infrared) or by means of any other suitable data transmission.
The information tag can be passive, i.e. that it is supplied with energy by receiving an energy transmitted by a transmitter (such as an electromagnetic field). However, information tags which comprise their own energy source (such as an optionally rechargeable battery, a capacitor or the like) are used to an increasing extent.
A problem which occurs when applying an information tag which is provided with an energy source, is that the energy source getting exhausted can result in failures. It is, for example, possible that owing to a too low energy level the information tag is no longer able to supply an information signal or a sufficiently strong information signal at the required moments or locations, so that the animal or plant in question can no longer be recognized in the correct manner, the required information can no longer be transmitted, and the like, which may result in undesirable or dangerous situations, such as not or not timely treating (for example milking, cleaning, feeding, watering, administering medicine etc. to) an entity which is connected to the tag, such as a plant, animal or otherwise.